Advanced Practice Providers are in the driver’s seat.
That’s the takeaway from a new study from a staffing giant. Nearly a quarter of candidate searches by AMN recruiters over the past year were for NPs, CRNAs, and PAs, up from 19% a year earlier. Searches for primary care docs fell by 3%, indicating that the physician shortage is increasingly being solved with APPs.
Also in CME 38: Meet a locum tenens agency leader who’s also a practicing locums physician; how physicians on visas can tap into locums work; a handy document checklist for locums providers; gaining professional development from locum tenens assignments; more on AI chatbots in healthcare; burnout tips; locums career tips, and more!
Continue your locums education with Locums CME 38 below!
25% of Recruitment Searches Are for Advanced Practice Providers
August 6, 2024 | HealthLeaders Media
AMN Healthcare’s 2024 Review of Physician and Advanced Practitioner Recruiting Incentives reports growing client demand for advanced practice providers and increased salaries to go with it. The report attributes this interest in APPs to the physician shortage and increased opportunities with specialty medical practices, urgent care centers, retail clinics, and telemedicine.
Nearly a quarter of searches conducted by AMN recruiters from April 2023 to March 2024 were for NPs, CRNAs, and PAs, up from 19% the previous year. Comparatively, the number of searches for primary care physicians fell 3% to only 14% of recruitment activity in the last year.
Nearly three-quarters of AMN searches were in communities of at least 100,000 people, which indicates that the need for skilled medical care is not limited to geographically small or remote areas. Demand is growing everywhere as the physician shortage affects cities as well as small towns.
Salary trends further display the heightened demand for APPs. Starting salaries for NPs rose by nearly 9% year-over-year, from $158,000 in 2023 to $164,000 in 2024, outpacing the US inflation rates of 4% in 2023 and 3% in 2024. This increase reflects the critical role APPs are playing in the healthcare system, particularly in areas where physician shortages are most acute.
The report also showed that the demand for healthcare professionals is not confined to rural or underserved areas. Seventy-one percent of the searches were conducted in communities with populations of 100,000 or more, demonstrating that the need for skilled medical care is pervasive across both urban and rural settings.
Your Locums Prescription
Locums Staffing Leader Is Also a Practicing Locums Physician
July 26, 2024 | Becker’s ASC Review
Joe Sturdivant, MD, is not just the chief medical officer of IMN Enterprises, a locum tenens staffing agency. He’s a practicing locums physician himself. Seeing the industry through both lenses offers him a unique perspective on the benefits of temporary physician work.
Locum tenens assignments initially allowed Sturdivant to explore different geographies and facilities when he needed it most, during a transition period in his life. After realizing that freedom of schedule and location were exactly what he craved, he committed to locums full-time. The variety continues to challenge him positively.
Now, as an agency leader, he sees numerous benefits to facilities, including how locum tenens providers can offer relief for permanent staff. They ease the pressure of staffing gaps and overwork due to seasonal upticks or expansion projects. And they’re strong teammates: Sturdivant noted that numerous studies have discussed locums providers’ high skill as judged by factors such as patient care outcomes.
Physicians on Visas Tap Exciting Opportunities in Locums Work
July 16, 2024 | Locumstory
Locum tenens providers have been instrumental in filling staffing gaps. With planning and support, doctors from outside the US can also work as locum providers and help alleviate the current physician shortage.
Most foreign-born physicians start their US careers on a J-1 visa sponsored by the facility they come to the US to work for. While there are opportunities to receive a J-1 waiver and apply for an H-1B visa, the physician must continue working in a sponsoring facility.
Locumstory outlined an alternative pathway for foreign-born physicians to seek locum tenens opportunities after completing their initial J-1 visa. A physician can form their own corporation, which then sponsors them for the J-1 waiver and H-1B visa for locum work. The physician may also continue full-time work with a sponsoring facility and better establish their own business during the visa process. This is not a swift, simple, or inexpensive process, but with foresight and the support of professionals such as an immigration attorney, it is possible.
Get Organized with This Free Document Checklist for Locums
July 26, 2024 | Wilderness Medical Staffing
Wilderness Medical Staffing has created a downloadable Complete 2024 Locum Tenens Document Checklist. This comprehensive list includes everything a provider needs to have up-to-date and available before applying for a locums assignment and during their tenure as a locums provider.
A great tip for providers is to digitize their documents, organize them electronically, and sync them to a cloud backup for easy access and updates. Providers can then scan paper copies with a smartphone and use file names, including expiration dates, to track when certifications and licenses need renewal. Regularly deleting outdated files will also keep your folders organized and make everything easier to find.
Job Market Is Robust for Residency Graduates Who Do Their Homework
August 5, 2024 | Vista Staffing
The job market is strong for recent residency graduates. The aging segment of the population is growing, and overall, people’s healthcare needs are diversifying, both of which are leading to an increased need for specialized care. New graduates are also more familiar with current technology, making them especially appealing to facilities.
Graduates are well-positioned to research the market—including salary expectations and geographic options—and make smart choices for themselves.
To succeed in this booming market, recent residency graduates may find success in leveraging their network of colleagues, mentors, and professional organizations both in person and online. These connections, along with creating a quality resume and practicing for interviews will make them strong candidates.
Physician Wellness Retreat
Concrete Efforts Narrow Gender Gap in Physician Burnout
August 6, 2024 | American Medical Association
Recent data from the American Medical Association reveals that female physicians still experience higher levels of burnout and feel less appreciated than their male colleagues. While overall burnout rates have improved, this gender gap persists. Some proactive steps taken by medical groups are making a positive difference.
In 2023, more than half of female physicians—55%—reported symptoms of burnout; for the same period, 42% of their male counterparts did. Women physicians also reported being less likely to feel valued in their role, at 46%, compared to 56% of men who feel valued.
There are numerous reasons for this disparity, including female doctors spending more time on direct patient care and record-keeping and receiving more work-related messages than their male colleagues.
Washington Permanente Medical Group, part of the AMA Health System Program, has dug into why this is happening. Their research shows that while men and women report working similar hours outside of their shifts, 59% of female physicians want to cut back their hours compared to just 34% of men. When asked how they could feel more satisfied with their current workload, women pointed to a need for less work outside of work and fewer documentation demands.
To address these concerns, Washington Permanente is now in its third round of a women’s leadership coaching program, and a senior women leaders group also meets for quarterly dinners. These initiatives seem to be paying off, with women’s well-being scores rising from 58% to 63%. The gap between male and female physicians has also narrowed significantly, from a 5% gap in 2022 to just 1% in 2023.
More than 30% of Family Medicine Physicians Experienced Pandemic-Era PTSD
August 7, 2024 | Advisory Board
A recent study in JAMA Network Open highlights the concerning rates of post-traumatic stress disorder among physicians during the COVID-19 pandemic, with certain specialties hit harder than others. The research, which looked at data from nearly 29,000 physicians in 25 countries, found that almost 1 in 5 doctors experienced pandemic-related PTSD—three times higher than the general population.
Family medicine physicians were the most affected, followed by those in emergency medicine and otolaryngology. Female physicians were almost twice as likely as their male counterparts to develop PTSD, likely due to the greater strain on their social support systems during the pandemic. Medical trainees also faced a higher risk, especially as they progressed in their training, possibly due to workplace harassment and more frequent exposure to traumatic events.
The study connects PTSD to burnout, reduced productivity, compromised patient care, increased medical errors, higher staff turnover, and a greater risk of suicide among physicians.
3 Areas of Professional Development Gained Through Locums Assignments
August 2, 2024 | MPLT Healthcare
While locum tenens work is rewarding for providers, patients, and facilities during each short-term assignment, its benefits for the provider can also be career-changing. Locums assignments can offer incredible opportunities for professional development in several areas. The following are just three examples.
- Experience in a diversity of healthcare environments: A provider might work in an urban hospital followed by a rural clinic, or choose an assignment within underserved communities, learning new processes and best practices.
- Opportunity for further education: The flexibility of locums work means a provider can more easily fit in continuing education courses, medical conferences, or other training programs.
- More comprehensive professional network: Every assignment connects a locums provider with recruiters and new colleagues, increasing their chances of new opportunities and collaborations.
Firsthand knowledge of various settings, staying current in the latest medical practices and tools, and a diversity of relationships all make a provider an optimal locums candidate.
Doctor’s Notes
Make Your Next Locums Assignment Community-Focused
August 8, 2024 | Axios
Community health centers offer wonderful opportunities for locum tenens to make a real difference in patients’ medical care. They are the single source of care for a growing population disenfranchised by severe financial distress.
In 2023, community health centers hit a 60-year historic high in patients served, 31 million individuals that year alone. The vast majority—more than 90%—have incomes below 200% of the federal poverty level.
At the same time, nearly half of these centers report shortages in nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and other advanced practitioners, up from 39% in 2018. Locums providers (physician and advanced practice providers alike) offer skilled bridges across these gaps.
Using AI Chatbots to Guide Patient Health Literacy
July 30, 2024 | TechTarget
Patient research into health topics, prevention options, and treatment plans plays a crucial role in them feeling engaged in their healthcare and in their relationship with their provider. AI chatbots are the latest tool available to patients trying to access and understand health information. Providers can improve their patient guidance by understanding these bots’ benefits and how they may fall short.
Early studies have found that chatbots satisfactorily answer patient queries about health concerns. They show promise in helping to improve patient access to health information. However, according to a recent JAMA Network Open study, chatbot quality can vary between free and paid versions. There was no difference in the quality of information between the two, but there was a difference in readability. If the paid version offers easier-to-understand health information, that raises issues of healthy equity.
Medical providers are uniquely positioned to advise their patients on using these tools for their own research. Something as simple as showing patients how to instruct the free version to respond at a lower-grade reading level can increase understanding.
Facilities Who Listen to Their Physicians Can Lower Burnout
July 23, 2024 | American Medical Association
Providers who feel like stepping back from work hours or even stepping away entirely are not alone, and they should look to their facilities for support in things like improving job satisfaction and lowering job stress. By sharing their experience with leadership, they can help shape how things operate.
A recent American Medical Association survey of physicians across 31 states and over 80 health systems found that more than a third, regardless of age or career stage, want to reduce their work hours. For those in internal medicine and family medicine, the rate was closer to 40%.
Facilities successfully retaining their physicians are listening to what they report. One saw a high turnover rate among new hires, so they improved their orientation and onboarding programs. After listening actively, they ask follow-up questions to better understand the details of the dissatisfaction. Engaged facilities are also proactive by initiating conversations with regular check-ins between providers and department chairs.
It’s Time for Physicians to Embrace a Four-Day Workweek
August 6, 2024 | Becker’s Hospital Review
The case for the four-day workweek has been heard in shouts or murmurs in nearly every industry in the US for years now, yet there has been hesitancy from physicians to make this change. There is an assumption that doing so may negatively affect their working relationships and reputation or even system funding and workflow. And when there is a growing physician shortage, it may seem counterintuitive to cut the hours of the doctors we have. Since burnout is considered a contributor to the shortage, the opposite may be true.
It was recently estimated that physician burnout costs the US healthcare system nearly $5 billion annually. More flexible scheduling could alleviate physician exhaustion, improving productivity and the bottom line.
It cannot be incumbent upon individual physicians to request this; instead, there must be a more system-wide approach to adjusting working hours. As individual hospital leaders begin to see the benefits of a four-day workweek for physicians, this discussion may increase in volume from a murmur to a shout.
Healthcare Clinicians Carry High Medical Debt Too
August 8, 2024 | Medical Economics
A recent study published in JAMA Health Forum reveals that US healthcare workers face significant financial burdens, with collective educational and medical debt exceeding $150 billion. While physicians carry the highest average educational debt at $33,141, other healthcare professionals—including registered nurses, nursing aides, and even non-medical staff—also struggle with substantial debt. On average, healthcare workers carry $10,642 in educational debt, with younger workers and those with advanced degrees being the most affected.
In addition to educational debt, healthcare workers are more likely than those in other professions to carry medical debt, with an estimated $20 billion in medical debt annually. Women and those working in home health and nursing home settings are disproportionately impacted by these financial challenges. Medical debt is especially prevalent among uninsured workers, those who have recently been hospitalized, and female healthcare workers.
The consequences of this debt are far-reaching, leading to negative health outcomes, reduced professional mobility, and diminished workforce diversity. Financial strain can also discourage healthcare workers from pursuing lower-paying but essential fields like public health or primary care. Moreover, workers indebted to their employers may feel less empowered to address patient safety concerns or protect themselves from workplace abuses. Aggressive debt collection practices by hospitals, including lawsuits against their own employees, further complicate these issues.
Sponsored Content
Find ‘Hot Jobs in Cool Places’ with Interim Physicians
July 31, 2024 | Interim Physicians
Interim Physicians’ “Hot Jobs in Cool Places” series showcases their locum tenens jobs that are the most heart-thumping (located in places with excellent outdoor adventure), tastebud-tempting (in areas known for their food scenes), or soul-fulfilling (near vibrant cultural offerings). Recent radiology posts include one in Florida, in a charming town packed with history about an hour from the beach, and one in Michigan, surrounded by both woodlands and vineyards.
